Elon Musk’s business empire is experiencing a significant wave of senior departures across his five companies, as employees cite burnout, strategic disagreements, and concerns about the billionaire’s political activism, according to the Financial Times. Key executives have recently left Tesla and xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup. Tesla has seen departures from its US sales team, battery operations, public affairs division, and critical Optimus robot and AI teams. The company’s chief information officer also recently stepped down, the FT reported.The turnover affects Musk’s conglomerate of more than 140,000 employees spanning from SpaceX to Tesla. The Financial Times spoke with over a dozen current and former employees to understand the internal turmoil driving these exits.Intense work culture drives rapid turnover at xAIThe exodus has been particularly acute at xAI, which Musk merged with his social network X in March. The startup’s chief financial officer lasted only three months before moving to rival OpenAI, while the general counsel departed after 16 months. Mike Liberatore, the former CFO, noted on LinkedIn that he worked “102 days — 7 days per week in the office; 120+ hours per week.”Robert Keele, xAI’s general counsel, ended his tenure by posting an AI-generated video of a lawyer screaming while shoveling molten coal, commenting: “I love my two toddlers and I don’t get to see them enough.”More than a dozen current and former employees told the FT that while some departed happily after long service, others left due to exhaustion or disillusionment with Musk’s decision-making, mass layoffs, and polarizing political views. Tesla eliminated 14,000 positions in April 2024, triggering further departures when Musk shifted investment away from electric vehicle projects toward robotics and AI initiatives.Elon Musk’s political activism and strategic pivots fuel concernsThe FT report highlights that employees expressed unease about Musk’s support for Donald Trump and far-right provocateurs, with some dreading conversations with family members about his controversial stances. “Elon’s behaviour is affecting morale, retention and recruitment,” one long-standing lieutenant told the Financial Times, adding that Musk “went from a position from where people of all stripes liked him, to only a certain section.“At xAI, staff have raised concerns about Musk’s approach to user safety as the company rushes to compete with OpenAI and Google. One insider told the FT that “Elon loyalists who exhibit his traits are laying off people and making decisions on safety that I think are very concerning for people internally.”Notable departures include Daniel Ho, who oversaw Tesla’s cancelled $25,000 EV project before joining Google’s Waymo, and Omead Ashfar, Musk’s close confidant dismissed as head of North American sales amid falling sales blamed on alienating liberal customers.Despite the turnover, Tesla chair Robyn Denholm defended the company’s position, telling the FT: “Our bench strength is outstanding…we are still a magnet for talent.” However, one of Musk’s advisers acknowledged: “The one constant in Elon’s world is how quickly he burns through deputies,” describing a relentless work culture where “there’s time and then there’s ‘Tesla time'” — a “24/7 campaign-style work ethos.“
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